New Westminster teenager Nina Schultz set a new B.C. and Canadian record in the heptathlon at the World youth track and field championships in Cali, Colombia last weekend.
The 16-year-old New Westminster Secondary School athlete scored a personal-best 5,406 total points in the girls’ seven-event final to finish in 11th place overall in the 38-competitor field at the world championship meet on Saturday.
Schultz’s total broke Georgia Ellenwood’s provincial youth heptathlon record mark of 5,043 set back in 2011.
Geraldine Ruckstuhl of Switzerland won the youth girls’ heptathlon gold with a championship record total of 6,037.
Sarah Lagger of Austria and Alina Shukh of the Ukraine placed second and third, respectively.
Schultz opened the two-day competition with a personal-best in the 100-metre hurdles, placing runner-up in Heat 3 with a 14.13 clocking.
Schultz also PB’d in her second discipline of the day, winning her group in the high jump after clearing the bar at 1.79 metres on her second attempt.
Her group-winning jump matched a Games-best height in the high jump with three Group A competitors, including Lisa Maihofer of Germany, Nianh Emerson of Great Britain and Bianca Salming of Sweden.
The New West Spartan multi-events athlete completed the Friday events with a throw of 11.57m in the shot put and a third PB in the 200m, with a 25.64 time.
On Day 2, Schultz leaped 5.38m in the long jump, threw the javelin a personal best 39.05m, before completing the grueling two-day competition with a 2.29.14 time in the 800m run.
Schultz’s new record total in the heptathlon ranks her among the top 15 athletes in the world.
“This achievement was an incredible result for her,” said Spartan’s coach Besnick Mece.
